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'Once Upon a Time' spins fairy-tale ratings for ABC

October 24, 2011 | 2:18
pm

ABC's wish for a fairy-tale fall hit may have come true with "Once Upon a Time."

The drama — which mixes elements from Snow White and other fairy tales within a modern-day mystery — opened big Sunday night, delivering 12.8 million total viewers opposite tough competition from the World Series on Fox and an NFL game on NBC.

Even better for ABC, "Once Upon a Time" was this season's top drama premiere in the advertiser-friendly category of adults ages 18 to 49, with a 3.9 rating/10 share. The audience grew throughout the 8 p.m. hour and the premiere did even better than the program that followed at 9 p.m., "Desperate Housewives" (3.0 rating/7 share).

Those are all signs that point to strong viewer interest, although much will depend on whether the numbers hold up the next few weeks. ABC's "Pan Am" also took off to big ratings a few weeks back, but on Sunday it continued to lose altitude, with just 5.8 million aboard.

"Once Upon a Time" stars Jennifer Morrison as a young bail bondswoman who may or may not be the long-lost daughter of Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin).

What did you think of "Once Upon a Time"? Sound off in the comments or on our poll below.